


Torches and Pitchforks

by philsgiggles



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fighting, I'm Sorry, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Swearing, argument
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 19:54:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14220588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/philsgiggles/pseuds/philsgiggles
Summary: Dan accidentally left his wedding ring on––and the phandom noticed. This is the aftermath in their flat.





	Torches and Pitchforks

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr's @moonroomsnuggles come check it out! Enjoy, my sweets...

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Spittle flies from Dan’s mouth as he pounds his fist onto the hard granite countertop.  
           “What’s wrong with me? I’m not the one who forgot to take his goddamn ring off after _five years_ of it! And you blame me? Are you fucking kidding me, Dan?” Phil paces quickly. He can’t even bring himself to look at Dan, to see the hurt in his eyes. He feels his hairs ripping out, follicle by follicle, in his hands. He throws his hands up in an emotional blur as Dan yells, and grabs the closest object to his path, throwing it as hard as he can across the room. It hits the wall and falls to the floor with a soft thud. Phil looks at what he threw. It just so happens to be the tiny Dan plushie that has taken up residence in its own little nook by the couch. Phil looks at it, shaking with emotion. Dan’s yelling has turned into an almost unintelligible blur of desperate noise. Something wavers inside of Phil’s chest. His shoulders start to slump.  
           “I told you! I told you that if I was late that I’d forget something. And––and do you remember what you said? You told me that it was fine. That I should just _come back to bed_ and that it would be fine. And now?” Tears leak down Dan’s face and the wavering feeling inside of Phil bursts, and he chokes. He wraps his arms around himself before quickly throwing them off of himself. He grabs at himself as he tries to calm down, digging his fingers back into his scalp and breathing in. His lungs fill. His movements gradually slow down, along with his heart.  
           “Now you’re yelling at _me_ for not taking the _fucking_ ring off. Well, guess what? I––I’ll take the fucking ring off! Guess what? I’ll take it off forever, is––is that what you want? Because I just––” Dan cuts himself off, his face white. He’s still. But suddenly, Dan grabs his left hand in his right and wrestles with the little silver band that hugs its ring finger. He pulls it off quickly and Phil watches as it flies across the room from the momentum, nestling into the plush carpet a few yards away without a sound. Phil can only look, wide-eyed, at its landing spot, before looking back at Dan to see him running away, palms rubbing into his eyes, holding in whatever wetness hasn’t streamed out yet.  
           Phil watches him leave and swings his legs out from beneath himself, flopping helplessly onto the floor, hard enough to hurt. He doesn’t care. He runs his hands through his hair again and looks in the general direction of where he saw the ring disappear to. He tries to make out the glint of the shiny metal, but fails. A lump in his throat chokes off his air supply. He crawls over on his hands and knees and combs his fingers through the soft carpet.  
           He sobs into himself silently, dry heaving so hard that black spots cloud his vision. Never had Dan ever taken the ring off, not once, since he first put it on, not unless he absolutely had to. He even had it on during a few meet-and-greets and tried to hide his hand behind his back or in his pocket. He said that as long as he loved Phil, that as long as he belonged to Phil, he would never take it off. Phil hiccups.  
           Something brushes his pinky and rolls under the pads of his fingers. He grabs at it and the ring slips into his hand. Phil doesn’t look at it, instead squeezing it in his fist and standing up again. He sways slightly, his vision filled with unshed tears. He feels the cold band press into his skin. He feels a red mark forming and welcomes it. Silver bites into his flesh. He bites his lip. Hard. Blood dribbles out of the messy holes formed by his teeth and he laps it up. His tears dry, anger dissipates, until Phil is left with a lonely sense of unfulfillment and empty sorrow.  
           He looks around him and finds himself in front of Dan’s room. Dan’s soft sobs echo from inside. For over six years now, Dan’s room has gone uninhabited and it’s a slap in the face to be back in front of the closed door, with Dan on the inside. Phil leans his forehead against the door and breathes out softly. _Control._  
           “Dan,” Phil’s levee breaks and he heaves into himself again at the word. He gasps for air.  
           “Dan, please,” Phil’s voice is raspy, broken. He doesn’t know what he’s begging for, it could be any number of things. But he just knows that he loves his Bear. And he needs to be inside of that room.  
           He hears Dan’s helpless noises cut out suddenly with a ragged gasp and waits a moment. He breathes in. He turns the knob slowly and walks in hesitantly. He hiccups. His breath stutters. And he sits beside Dan on the bed. Dan is face down, wetting his cool pillow with his spurting tears, yet completely immobile. Save, of course, for his chest, which rises up and down in stuttering breaths.  
           “Dan,” Phil begins, “Dan, just talk to me,” And he’s crying again, “Please! Please, Dan, just––” And he’s sobbing again, “Dan! Baby! Please! Ju––Ju…” And he can’t make any more words form. He burrows into himself, wrapping his arms around his torso and clutching at himself with clammy fingers. The bed shakes with his sobs.  
           All of a sudden, the bed creaks and Dan is sitting up next to him. They both stare straight ahead at the wall. Dan takes Phil’s left hand in his right and waits for him to breathe. When Phil has finally collected himself, Dan begins. Tears color his words.  
           “You know––you know how bad it was when we first… got together. I mean, shit, Phil, you’re the one who helped me get through it. So you know… I don’t––didn’t…  want the fans finding out, you _knew_ that. And I know you did, but I just can’t. I don’t know.”  
           Phil rubs his back silently as Dan lets out a few choked tears, “I’m scared. I’m so fucking scared.”  
           “I know, baby,” Phil says, and Dan falls into him, grabbing at him, at his shirt, at his neck. He seems to shrink to half his size and crawls into Phil helplessly. Tears slip slowly from Phil’s shut eyes and he tilts his head to rest on Dan’s.  
           “It just feels like… like the thoughts I had, m–maybe I’m not alone in them. Like maybe they… think them too. I mean, maybe only a couple million people know right now, but by morning? By––by morning, it’s gonna be,” Dan hiccups and tears start to pool up in Phil’s eyes again. His poor Dan continues after an eternity of silence, “This––us––is gonna be _everywhere_. And there’s nothing we can do now to stop it, not really. Nothing’s gonna be the same. Not ever,” Dan looks into Phil’s eyes, searching for answers.  
           “I know, baby. But maybe it’s not such a bad thing, yeah?” Phil never releases his hold on Dan when he feels the younger man try to pull away and draw back into his shell, only gripping him tighter, clinging on like a liferaft, “Bear, you’ve come so far! And so has everyone else––all the important people, at least. And, Dan, have you thought about what it means that there is a ring to show? It means that enough of the world has changed that people accept it! Accept us. It means that millions of wonderful people will support you. And you can help support millions of wonderful people who maybe wouldn’t have the courage otherwise. And, Dan,” Phil pauses and waits for Dan to look back up at him, “It means that I love you. And _I_ will support you. Even if the rest of the world comes bearing pitchforks and––and torches, I will never let you go.”  
           Dan sniffles, “God, Phil, that was probably the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard. Well, aside from your vows, at least.”  
           Phil chuckles in relief and drops his head back down to rest on Dan’s. He wipes his eyes for the last time.  
           “Hey, Phil?” Dan murmurs.  
           “Yeah?” Phil says, unmoving, simply grateful to be able to hold Dan like this.  
           “You’re gonna have to let me go now, though, we’ve got shit to do,” Dan deadpans, and Phil laughs softly before letting go. Dan slides off of him and stretches up, before turning around to face Phil, still on the bed. He smiles and leans in for a lingering kiss. Both of their faces are soaked from tears, but Phil’s heavy heart swells at the motion with an overpowering love. They say nothing. Dan takes Phil by the hand and leads him out of the room.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comments make me happier than a Dan liking some *questionable* Tumblr posts...


End file.
